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2012-13 University Passage

Jon Wallace Thursday, April 12th, 2012

Dear APU Community,

As we lean into our vision to become that “city on a hill,” I believe our practice of prayerfully selecting a University Passage serves as a powerful reminder of the foundation of our vision, while affirming the Lordship of Christ and the authority of Scripture. Choosing a passage also draws us together, prompts thoughtful reflection and study, and aligns our planning and organizational endeavors for the next academic year. As you know, each year we emphasize a different cornerstone.

Over the course of the 2011–12 year, we have probed Proverbs 3, which called us to find ways to recognize that wisdom is a gift from God and to discern how to live deeply with the world around us. This text also enabled us to focus on the cornerstone of Scholarship and invited us into the Old Testament.

As we turn now to explore the cornerstone of Service, we were thrilled that so many community members—students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and trustees—participated. Reading the submissions, we felt your enthusiasm and sense of responsibility for selecting a passage that God would have us examine in the next academic year.

When the committee gathered, we prayed first for God’s leading as we considered the rich options before us. We assessed the thoughtful recommendations offered and felt the Spirit moving us to consider passages that turned our attention outward in service to others.

Consensus quickly emerged that James 2 would offer fertile ground for next year. This passage uniquely represents an integrated understanding of our Christian walk consistent with our Wesleyan Holiness heritage and our desire to bring authentic faith to bear in transformational acts of service. The structure of the chapter itself inspires. The first half calls us to respect and honor the dignity of all people. What a great testimony to our commitment to valuing people and relational unity! The second half follows naturally in expressing our faith in actions. I have included the passage below for your convenience.

As always, I look forward to how God uses this sacred text and our response to it to prepare our community for the year ahead. Thank you for your engagement in this process and your willingness to share your reflections.

Blessings,

President Jon R. Wallace, DBA

______________________

University Passage 2012–13

James 2 (NRSV)

1My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? 2For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, 3and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” 4have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? 6But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? 7Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

8You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 9But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. 11For the one who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

18But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith. 19You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder. 20Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith without works is barren? 21Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works. 23Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. 24You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? 26For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead.

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Note to Self

Megan Monday, November 21st, 2011

I could reiterate this fact a million times, as much as I have said it plenty before, the statement stands true that I could not imagine myself anywhere else besides right where I am. As we are nearing the end (sort of) of the Fall semester I am still astonished at how fast this past year and 3 months has FLOWN by. I feel like it was just yesterday I was stepping into a university (and a whole ‘nother world it seemed) of things that were so new to me. I thought lately about what I would tell myself 15 months ago as I was nearing move in day at APU, if I knew what I know now.

This post is pretty out of line of what I usually post, more deep perhaps, but nonetheless I felt it may be beneficial/exciting for those that are thinking about coming to APU or maybe even JUST found out they got accepted to APU for next school year (Congratulations by the way!) Know that everyones experience here differs, I tried to encapsulate the fact that I would not be myself without being here, yet it hasn’t always been the easiest of times. Life is life, after all. I do know though that if you end up here by the hand of God, view it as a blessing on the daily, and seek out why He wants you here, you will never be disappointed. NEVER. And you will be like me in the fact that you will never go a day wondering how life would have been if you ended up somewhere else. You will never have wanted to end up elsewhere.

Dear Self,

You are stepping into the future that you yourself never had planned in your wildest dreams, it can only be said to be God’s hand at work instead of your own. You had your own plan for your life, God said no, and as much as it didn’t make sense and it was tough to release your grip on your own life plans, it will make sense in a couple months time as to why you are at APU and not anywhere else. As nervous, anxious, and overwhelmed as you are, rejoice and yet be still because all that nervousness will fade once you truly come to grasp how great of a blessing God is about to place in your hands.

You are entering into a world of self discovery, growth, leadership, incredible friendships, and learning. You are going to step into the school as one person and step out of it another person entirely. God is going to use you in ways that you cannot even fathom right now. You are going to struggle, fall short, endure hard (and sometimes long) trials, but at the other end is such a hope and restoration found in Christ. He is going to bless you with a community of friends, of sisters and brothers, of FAMILY, that will never let you feel like you are doing life on your own. They will encourage you, uplift you, motivate you, inspire you, and love on you endlessly. You will be poured into at this university more then ever before, and you will be given amble opportunities (that you will take) to pour into others.

You will learn the definition of success that turns out to be one you could have never foreseen it being. You will live out that success by experiencing true joy and developing even more of a genuine, real faith.

You will allow yourself to be vulnerable with people like never before, you will serve until you have run dry and then serve some more, you will travel the one place you never planned to (Africa), and you will see sides of California that you never thought existed through a leadership position you never would imagine you are about to be blessed with (Alpha).

God will teach you what a woman of God looks like, what a man of God looks like, and what your life may look like in the end. You will be overcome with stressful exams, tough classes, endless projects, and long essays. But you WILL look back time and time again and realize how blessed you are for the education you are receiving. You will be blessed with an incredible roommate freshmen year that only God could have hand picked for you and you will be blessed sophomore year with two incredibly Godly woman to love and pour into your life. Why you ever stressed out with who you were going to live with is beyond me.

Please make the most of your time at home, days that you are stressed and miss your family you will wish you did. Please eat a lot of home-cooked meals and build the high school friendships you desire wholeheartedly to keep. Please don’t stress out about making friends, because when you set your two feet on APU’s campus you will never have to worry about who to sit next to at lunch or who you can come to during hard times. You may grow distant from high school friends you never ever thought you would, but you will grow immensely close to the most incredible friends that you could not (even in your wildest of dreams) have picked out for yourself. You will never have to sit at lunch alone (expect random people to sit next to you because they will here) and you will rarely even have to open your own doors (thats what happens when your surrounded with men that know the name of Jesus).

Please pray that your stress and anxiety would be replaced with peace. There is no use in stressing out about being about to enter into the most incredible, life-changing years of your life.

Love, Self

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The South African Experience

Jon Wallace Thursday, November 17th, 2011

It’s early morning here at the APU South African campus in Pietermaritzburg. I’m sitting in the main lodge that serves as the dinner hall. The lodge sits high on the property overlooking a lush green valley.

Though most of our 54 students are still asleep, the kitchen staff goes about their morning chores in hushed Zulu, greeting me with warm and generous words. I arrived here on Tuesday morning after more than 24 hours. I’m literally on the opposite end of the world from Southern California. After that kind of a journey you might ask: Is it worth it? Does the African experience really make such a difference that we should send some of our very best undergraduates half way around the world to live immersed in this culture? Are there better ways to extend the 112-year commitment to God’s work in the world that has so defined the APU God First mission?

My answer this morning as it has been for the previous nine semesters I’ve traveled here remains a resounding, “Yes!” The South Africa Semester, like many of our cross-border/cross-cultural learning opportunities, perfectly captures our Christian higher education mission.

Yesterday, I visited many of the service-learning and ministry sites that comprise part of the course requirements here and witnessed firsthand the impact this country and its people are having on our students. Today, we will gather to celebrate together their last full day on this campus before these students head out for their last four weeks in Cape Town. In chapel, I’m going to encourage our students to take seriously the seeds of growth and change planted this semester and ask them to consider what God may be preparing them for as they return to us on APU’s Azusa campus.

Without question, our South Africa student learning experience affirms and supports our collective vision of becoming that university on a hill. Pray with me for the last four weeks these students have here before they head home for Christmas. Pray that God will use their discoveries and learnings for His glory and His purposes and that these students and others like them will respond to His call upon their lives.

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An Overwhelming Blessing

Mallory Monday, October 17th, 2011

Hey everyone! This is my first blog post of this school year and it’s about time if I do say so myself!

Well I’m not a freshman anymore! (Not that there is anything wrong with being one..) It’s just that reflecting on “last year” (or 5 months ago), it was about time to be called a Sophomore! :)

Looking back at my Freshman experience, I am amazed. My last blog post included some of the events that we did throughout the year! To be honest, I do not know how I did it all! Freshman year is just like the one in high school, yet you are 5 years older and 5 years more experienced! You come trying to figure out where you best fit, trying to gain every single person as your best friend, and of course trying to find that “man” so you could get a ring by spring! Oh and of course, trying to balance that all with academics! But somehow I did it all… Except the ring! Still trying to work on that.. :P Looking back even know, I realized a lot of things I took for grantide. If I could give you advice, I would definitely recommend this. Engage in your classes. Make your fifty five minute to an hour and a half classes worth something to you. The pain of waking up for a 7:15AM or 8:05AM class will only last the semester.. but there could be worse! I engaged in some yet I regret not in others. So please take this advice to heart! Be eager to go to each and every one of your classes! Want to learn! Your brain is a powerful tool, utilize it!

So summer has come and gone as well as 5 or 6 (?) weeks of school!

I’m going to be really honest with you. I wish to be a Freshman again. I thought I would never want to say that! This semester is CHAOS! To start with.. I have enrolled myself in 6  classes (17 units) and I have a job on campus! And that’s pretty normal for a student around here! The problem I did was giving myself 4 BACK TO BACK classes on Tues/Thurs. I am in demanding lecture classes from 8:05AM-2:30PM.

-_________-

The piles of homework stack up each and every week. And it’s not just “busy work, it’s WORK WORK! Reflection journals, exegetical papers, business presentation, statistical analysis experiments, and of course just plain ‘ol health class! I truely am amazed with how I am handling myself. But to be honest, my roommate has the best cure for overwhelming stress, besides screaming out loud.. The best cure for stress is laughter :) And I could not be in a better place than my apartment with some of the funniest gals in the whole school!

Even though life is chaotic and it seems never ending, there is something much more important to look forward too. My focus on God has changed from year to year. Ever since I’ve come to APUit has been for the better! I truely can say that I see God working in each and every moment of my life. My faith has strengthened beyond ways that I never could have imagined! But I am no where even near perfect, or even have a “normal” faith; I still struggle everyday.

-Mal

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A Necessary Blog Post.

Megan Monday, October 3rd, 2011

If you want to get technical, my run as an APU blogger ‘ended’ over four(ish) months ago when our summer break began. However, after the life changing eight weeks I spent this summer in Tanzania I felt that this post was entirely necessary after talking so much about this trip in my previous blogs.

I don’t really know where to begin, that seems to always be the toughest part about talking about a trip that had as big of an impact as this one had on me. I traveled to Tanzania (South-Eastern Africa) and spent two months there with a team put together by both the Office of World Missions and more importantly, God. (He hand picked this team perfectly, might I add.)

Three of my favorite beautiful girls of Nkungi.

We spent about 5 weeks in Nkungi village where we did work assigned by the village leaders, taught at both a primary and secondary school, installed water filters, distributed food packets, built blocks for a teachers home at one of the primary schools, and loved like crazy on the beautiful kids that we spent endless time with.

The new playground we build in Singida Town, the primary (elementary) school kids were so excited. It was the first of its kind.

Then we spent about 2 weeks in Singida Town where we worked at a childrens community center where food was distributed to the children that couldn’t afford it (in exchange for them being educated). We had the blessing of constructing a playground which was unheard of there and also repainted and fixing up the entire building. The other 1 week of the trip was spent in travel time and debriefing on a safari.

Babuu. One of the amazing things we got to witness on this trip was his hatred and aggression toward us in the beginning, that in time turned to love and admiration.

I think that the most present things that God taught me during that time was that (1) fears are petty when compared to life lessons that can be learned. We think our fears are justified, until God uses those fears to bring himself glory. (2) Statistics on poverty, lack of clean water, hiv/aids, prostitution, and disease are REAL, not only are their faces behind them but there are stories and names behind them. (3) Love and grace speak infinitely louder than words. Just because you can’t speak fluently in a language doesn’t mean your impact is less valid. (4) Stepping out of your comfort zone is always worth it. (5) The Holy Spirit is as as REAL and ALIVE as God and Jesus are, pray for the Holy Spirit to work through you because He most definitely desires to and WILL. (6) We cannot be strong and we cannot spread God’s perfect love without the power of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Seek it.

All of our friends that we grew to be SO close with in Nkungi village. Blessed beyond words to know these people and call them my Nkungi family.

Basically, the point of this post is not to boast about what I was blessed enough to do this summer but rather to encourage you and to point the glory to God and let you know that He has great things in store for you! A year ago I would have never imagined that going into APU God would call me to this mission trip and this mission trip would lead to so many convictions and blessings. Trust God and trust that His plan is infinitely greater then your own. Allow your life to look differently then you thought it would.

Also, while I know that world mission trips are obviously not in God’s calling for everyone, I DO encourage you to seek out Focus International mission trips at APU and see if God is calling you to one. We are all called to be missionaries, some in their hometowns, some in Azusa, some in other states, and some globally. Seek out where God has called you as a missionary.

My amazing sisters and brothers in Christ that I got blessed to spend 2 months serving alongside.

A side note: If you are a new freshmen at APU, WELCOME. I cannot explain my excitement to see so many new faces around campus and to finally have campus filled after 3 weeks of Alpha Leader Training! I encourage you to seek out ministry opportunities at APU and pour yourself into others. One of the greatest things about APU is being handed so many options to serve others and glorify Jesus Christ.

And if you are reading this blog as a prospective student, I encourage you to do the same, except where you are at. Google away and search opportunities to serve and love on others. Trust me when I say that it is worth every second. Bringing glory to God, and purpose and joy to yourself.

God bless you all.

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2011-12 University Passage

Jon Wallace Thursday, March 24th, 2011

Five years ago, we embraced what has since become a meaningful practice—the selection of a University Passage that centers our campus community, upholds our Christ-centered identity, prompts thoughtful reflection and study, and aligns our planning and organizational endeavors for the next academic year. Each year we emphasize a different cornerstone.

Three years ago, we selected Philippians 2:1–18 as our guiding text for our cornerstone of Service. The following year, Matthew 5:1–16 drew our attention to our cornerstone of Community. This year, our focus on the cornerstone of Christ has been shaped by both a Gospel passage and a Pauline epistle: John 1:1–18 and Colossians 1:15–23. These last 12 months have also been distinguished by a process of affirming our values and ethos as a distinctly Christ-centered institution, reclaiming the rich history and tradition of the Christian academy. How appropriate that next year our University Passage focuses on the cornerstone of Scholarship and draws us into the Old Testament for study and reflection on wisdom.

Once again, our selection process involved feedback from hundreds of community members—students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and trustees. It was incredible seeing the enthusiastic response from so many in our community who understood the significance of this tradition and invested precious time in prayer and reflection upon verses we could lean into in the next academic year. When our committee met to review the recommendations, we began by reading aloud the three passages that received the most support. Consider how fortunate we are—we work at a place where our mission and purpose are such that reading Scripture together became an act of worship, a calling out to the Lord to identify the verses that this community needs as we seek to bring glory to Him and advance His Kingdom.

It became quickly apparent that Proverbs 3 would offer rich ground for next year. Individually and corporately, we will find ways to recognize that wisdom is a gift from God and to discern how to live deeply with the world around us. I look forward to the profound conversations to come from immersion in this Scripture and as we explore what it means to be both disciple and scholar. I have included the passage below for your convenience.

As always, I look forward to how God uses this sacred text and our response to it to prepare our community for the year ahead. Thank you for your engagement in this process and your willingness to share your reflections.

Shalom,

President Jon R. Wallace, DBA

___________________

University Passage 2011–12

Proverbs 3 (NRSV)

1My child, do not forget my teaching,
but let your heart keep my commandments;
2for length of days and years of life
and abundant welfare they will give you.

3Do not let loyalty and faithfulness forsake you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.
4So you will find favor and good repute
in the sight of God and of people.

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not rely on your own insight.
6In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.

7Do not be wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
8It will be a healing for your flesh
and a refreshment for your body.

9Honor the Lord with your substance
and with the first fruits of all your produce;
10then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.

11My child, do not despise the Lord’s discipline
or be weary of his reproof,
12for the Lord reproves the one he loves,
as a father the son in whom he delights.

13Happy are those who find wisdom,
and those who get understanding,
14for her income is better than silver,
and her revenue better than gold.
15She is more precious than jewels,
and nothing you desire can compare with her.
16Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are riches and honor.
17Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace.
18She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;
those who hold her fast are called happy.

19The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding he established the heavens;
20by his knowledge the deeps broke open,
and the clouds drop down the dew.

21My child, do not let these escape from your sight:
keep sound wisdom and prudence,
22and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.
23Then you will walk on your way securely
and your foot will not stumble.
24If you sit down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
25Do not be afraid of sudden panic,
or of the storm that strikes the wicked;
26for the Lord will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from being caught.

27Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
when it is in your power to do it.
28Do not say to your neighbor,
“Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it”—
when you have it with you.

29Do not plan harm against your neighbor
who lives trustingly beside you.
30Do not quarrel with anyone without cause,
when no harm has been done to you.

31Do not envy the violent
and do not choose any of their ways;
32for the perverse are an abomination to the Lord,
but the upright are in his confidence.

33The Lord’s curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he blesses the abode of the righteous.
34Toward the scorners he is scornful,
but to the humble he shows favor.
35The wise will inherit honor,
but stubborn fools, disgrace.

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